Quintessence

Quintessence is worlds beyond Borknagar's previous album on nearly every level. The Archaic Course was good on its own mark, but Quintessence lives up to its name; it is the album that saw the band come into their own individual style. Not only have the band pushed themselves on a level of heaviness and musicianship, but have gotten consistently more progressive, experimental, and daring in their craft.

The first thing that will jump out at the listener is the fact that the band are more focused and cunning in the metal aspect of their sound. Everything seems more clear-cut and direct than previous offerings, which would ironically give the overall sound a huge boost. Whereas the previous album seemed a bit more relaxed and drifting in its more atmospheric scope, Quintessence is more aggressive and will confront the listener with its towering, almost intimidating motif. Borknagar proved themsleves to be a full-fledged epic metal monster here. Things in the songwriting department are much more straight-forward, but the progressive edge is not lost. In fact, the band have taken their prog tendencies to a new level by trying out new things within the more linear song structures. The number one example of this is the keyboards, which are featured prominently in every song. ("Inner Landscape" is a drum/keyboard interlude that shows the continuing progression of classical flair in the band's sound.) "Ruins of the Future" uses epic choirs, while the ripping opener "Rivalry of Phantoms" brings back the off-the-wall organs that were seen on the previous album's heavier tunes.

Oystein continues to push himself and his abilities to the extreme. "Genesis Torn" and "Ruins of the Future" are probably some of the heaviest numbers the band have written, while leaving plenty of room for atmosphere through the sullen closer "Revolt" and the short interlude "Inner Landscape." "Ruins of the Future" uses fiery tremolo picking on the main riff, while "Colossus" utilizes ummm.... colossal... lead guitars for the main melody. The weird elements in Oystein's playing techniques are still used here, but are used in a more subtle manner to give the songs a more dramatic flair. Quite a few solos make an appearance, too. There are plenty of tiny nuances and hidden melodies to be found here, and the guitars are layered to only heighten the mood created during the songs, which helps things out and gives this album a more personal feel.

The drum work is probably what boosts the band so much here. I know that a new drummer was brought in for this album, and he succeeds on damn near every level. Blastbeats are in full swing here, but are never overused. "Ruins of the Future" is such a case, and the heavy-as-hell drums make this song probably the best on the album. Cascading tom fills are seen more often here, and help to bring out the more technical approach to the songs. There are many progressive touches here, and the drums succeed at staying with the demanding, narrative song structures.

Vortex evolved far more than I believed he would. His clean vocals have more emotion behind them now, as seen on "Colossus" and "Revolt." The vocal melodies are catchy and epic, and the layering of vocals helps things out. His range has expanded as well, as he succesfully pulls off the higher pitches that were a bit iffy on The Archaic Course. Also, his screams are more matured, and he even pulls off some gutteral growls on "Genesis Torn." Vortex certainly left the band with a big bang, because this comes close to topping anything he has done with Arcturus or Dimmu Borgir.

The production is a huge step up. It's that classic Abyss sound: huge, pounding, drums; thick, meaty guitar distortion; highly articulate bass; and plenty of reverb on the vocals. Some say that the production hampers the density and layering in the songs, but I think it suits the more sophisticated nature of it perfectly compared to the sharper, trebly sound of Empiricism.

If there is one Borknagar album to recommend, it's definitely this one. This shows Borknagar at their finest and most ambitious hour, when they really came to be the band they are today.

Favorite tracks: "Ruins of the Future," "Colossus," "Revolt."